Tips to help you throw the best first year birthday party

Congratulations to your sweet little girl or bouncing baby boy for making their first birthday! A big shoutout is also in order to the parent(s) for bringing the toddler thus far.

But enough of the pleasantries – now to get to the matter at hand. The big day is approaching, and you want family, friends and the baby to all enjoy this event. To put it succinctly, you’re organizing the child’s first-birthday party, and you want it to be one that everyone involved pleasantly remembers, as much as humanly possible.

YOUR BABY WILL APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS!

Even though your child won’t likely walk away with a lifetime of memories from their first birthday (babies form long lasting memories after the 14^th month) that doesn’t mean they and their peers won’t appreciate your efforts. In other words, if your goal is for your baby to have a good time, then he or she definitely will. And in the process, the joyous toddler will also brighten up the day for all of the other children and adults involved.

THE VENUE

Toddlers tend to sleep often and on predictable timetable. As such, to maximize your baby’s enjoyment of his or her first-birthday party, it is a good idea to schedule the event during hours they are most likely to be awake.

Furthermore, the more babies and other children that are involved, the more likelihood there is for a major cleanup being in order when all is said and done. As such, while having the party at home usually seems like a good idea, other venues – such as the residence of a family member, a park or even a rented hall – should also be considered – one with a lot of open space, minimal items to damage and that is easy to clean.

GIVE THE PARTY A THEME

Even from this young age, the child may already have a favorite animal, toy or cartoon character. In the grand scheme of things perhaps having someone dress as say Barney, the purple dinosaur may be a bit extreme (unless you want to appeal to the older children in the crowd). But there is nothing wrong with having a Barney-themed party or one centered on whoever your child’s favorite character is. A theme will help you navigate through millions of options without losing time and energy.

BALLOONS!

One party favor almost any child can appreciate is balloons. They’re colorful, bouncy, weightless, generally-harmless and from a budgeting standpoint inexpensive. So incorporating balloons into a toddler’s birthday party theme is always a solid idea.

OTHER PARTY SUPPLIES

In terms of children’s birthday parties, one benefit of living in the modern world is the wide range of applicable party supplies we have to choose from. These can be purchased locally or in some places ordered and delivered right to your doorstep via online merchants (like this milestone birthday poster card which is so qute). They can also be personalized, depending on which supplier you are dealing with. Also if parents are pressed for time, they can consider hiring a catering service to do all the heavy lifting involved with putting the party together.

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGES FOR YEARS TO COME

While the birthday boy or girl may not remember this day straight from memory, there are sure to be memorabilia, such as pictures and birthday cards, they can enjoy in later years. And one cool idea is to print unique cards just for this celebration with birthday wishes and other inspirational messages. Older attendees can pick a card with a particular message they like and sign it. Then the cards can be collected and inserted into a photo album, once again for future reference. This will not only spare partygoers the burden of having to bring their own cards but will also allow the parent(s) to control the messages therein as well as more-easily manage the collection of them.

WHO TO INVITE

Many children don’t react well to grownups they do not recognize, even if it is in a fun-filled atmosphere. As such, unless the party is being held in a large venue, it is perhaps best to limit adult attendees to close family and friends. But as for their own peers, babies seem to get along generally well with other small children, especially when fun and games are in the air.

ABOUT THOSE GAMES…

You can throw up a few balloons and in the process keep toddlers entertained. But you have to be a bit more-creative in terms of keeping older children involved. Moreover parents would ideally guide the entertainment and play at the party in order to minimize destruction or the possibility of a child getting hurt. Under these circumstances, there are a number of simple yet effective children’s games that can be played.

BUDGETING CONCERNS

We’ve all read stories of how celebrities throw lavish birthday parties for their newborns which sometimes cost more than average people make in a year. But the truth is your child is easy to please, as in he or she hasn’t yet developed a taste for expensive stuff.

For creative ideas along these lines you can start off by visiting websites like childhood101.com or stayathomemum.com.au. These sites acknowledge the raw truth, which is that even such an important and joyous event should be kept on a budget.

AND OF COURSE, THE CAKE

You know we weren’t going to conclude this article without mentioning the all-important birthday cake!

First off, times are changing, and a birthday cake isn’t the hard requirement it was in times past. For instance, some people may opt to present a birthday pizza instead. But in general, when it comes to children, we tend to opt towards sweets, and parents want the irreplaceable sensation of blowing out that singular birthday candle along with their child.

There are two traditional options involved in terms of procuring the birthday cake. One is to have a caterer/bakery prepare the pastry for you. For example, if the party is based on a particular theme, and you want the cake to represent this theme also, then the best option is usually to utilize an outside service.

However, another factor to take into consideration is that no one knows the child’s tastes quite like the parents. So if you want a cake that is particularly pleasing to the taste buds of your child, home baking is a sound option. Indeed many mothers in particular perceive baking and frosting their child’s first birthday cake as an act of love, and we’re all in support of that idea.

CONCLUSION

Your one-year old is blessed to have a loving, appreciative parent such as yourself, even if the day after the party, he or she would have already forgotten it occurred. LOL! But all joking aside, there is perhaps no birthday in a person’s entire life that demands recognition more than the first. And we are sure that by using some of the ideas and hyperlinks presented in this document, people will be referencing the good time everyone had at your child’s first birthday for years to come.